ADRIAN — Former Adrian High School football standout Dorne Dibble, who went on to a successful football career with Michigan State University and the Detroit Lions, talked about football and his hometown to students in the AHS advanced fitness class Dec. 19.

“I wanted to let them know how fortunate they are to be (in) the Adrian school system,” Dibble said in a phone interview Monday.

Dorne, 83, who now lives in Northville, was a three-sport athlete at AHS and a member of the Michigan High School All-State Football Team in 1946. At MSU he was College All-American Defensive End in his senior year. He joined the Detroit Lions in 1951 and was instrumental in helping the team win two world championships and three division titles.

Dibble, who graduated from AHS in 1947, said he felt well-prepared for college by his education in Adrian Public Schools. He also enjoyed his visit with the students and found them to be mature, he said.

“I enjoyed seeing the young people,” he said. “They’re very interested in improving themselves.”

Dibble showed the students a film of Detroit Lions highlights from the 1949 through 1954 seasons. The film is a tribute to Lions quarterback Bobby Layne, who was one of Dibble’s teammates.

Dibble’s appearance was arranged by Lisa Wilkie, director of the Adrian Schools Educational Foundation and director of the Adrian High School Alumni Association. The association honored Dibble in 2011 as an outstanding alumnus of the year.

Head varsity football coach Phil Jacobs, who teaches the advanced fitness class with another teacher, said Dibble’s Adrian connection was valuable to the class.

“He is from Adrian, Michigan,” Jacobs said. “He walked the same streets as our kids walk.”

Dibble emphasized how the community molded his life, and how he took every opportunity to advance himself, Jacobs said.

The advanced fitness class has about 75 students, many of them athletes, Jacobs said. The students made a “very good audience” for Dibble, he said.